Hagenes attacks, Meeus crashes hard, and Trentin wins: Chaos reigns in stage 4 of Wallonia

After three days of racing, the peloton traveled from Verviers to Herve on the fourth day of the Tour of Wallonia, which is just a stone’s throw from the Dutch Limburg. In the 189 kilometers, they had to overcome a significant amount of elevation, leading to an intriguing opening phase. During this phase, riders such as Dries De Bondt (Decathlon AG2R), Florian Vermeersch (Lotto-Dstny), and Otto Vergaerde (Lidl-Trek) attempted to break away but were unsuccessful.

One reason for this was the presence of a mid-race sprint with time bonuses, where Trentin (Tudor) and Alex Kirsch (Lidl-Trek) managed to gain seconds. As a result, the Italian gained three seconds on leader Strong, reducing the gap to just four seconds.

After nearly an hour of racing, a breakaway formed with Michael Gogl (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Cole Kessler (Lidl-Trek), Lorenzo Milesi (Movistar Team), Liam Slock (Lotto-Dstny), and William Mevy (Uno-X). They managed to build a substantial lead, which was then reduced as they approached the hardest climb of the day. On the famed Redoute climb, known from Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Per Strand Hagenes (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Juan Pedro Lopez (Lidl-Trek) attempted to shake things up in the main group.

There was no real separation, partly because it was clear that the peloton did not want to be surprised for the second day in a row. Teams like TotalEnergies, Groupama-FDJ, Israel-Premier Tech, and Intermarché-Wanty contributed to the chase, which was also noticed at the front. Milesi made one last attempt to stay away with Slock, but despite Pascal Eenkhoorn’s disruptive efforts, they were eventually caught.

In the final stretch, Hagenes made another impressive acceleration, but it wasn’t enough; the sprinters surged past in a chaotic sprint disrupted by Meeus's crash. Trentin proved to be the fastest, securing a double victory in Tudor's jersey. Strong finished only fourth, behind Emillien Jeanniere and Timo Kielich. Mick van Dijke ended up in sixth place.